Stamping device for incandescent lamps and similar articles



June 24, 1930. A. SITTEL 1,768,424

Y STAMPING DEVICE FOR INCANDESCENT LAMPS AND SIMILAR ARTICLES Filed March 27, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Im entofi Alfred Sittel,

bgzZaw/wwzw His Attorney .fiune 24, 1930. A. SITTEL STAMPING DEVICE FOR INCANDESCENT LAMPS AND S IMILAR ARTICLES Filed March 27,- 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.7

Inventor: Alfred Si ttel. b WM His Attorneg v operations.

An example of a device constructed in ac-. 5O

Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrcE ALFRED SITTEL, OF BERLIN-LANKWITZ, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK STAMPING DEVICE FOR INCANDESCENT LAMPS AND SIlllIIIIfAJB; ARTICLES Application filed march 27, 1828, SerialNo. 265,165, and in Germany April 14, 1927.

It is customary to apply labels and marks to incandescent lamp bulbs and their bases by automatic stamping or printing devices so constructed that the operator need only introduce and remove the lamps.

One object of this-invention is to make the operation of stamping electric incandescent lamps and similar closed glass vessels more easily supervised and to simplify it. To this end the'device constructed in accordance with the invention has a movable lamp carrier, such as a rotatable disc, combined with a printing stamp mounted adjacent the path of travel/of the lamps and pieferably supported resiliently, and also an automatic ejector which in response to the insertion of an unstamped lamp removes or ejects the lamp which has been finished or stamped by rolling over the printing stamp. The operator needs only feed to the stamping device the lamp which is to be stamped.

The automatic ejector for the stamped incandescent lamps may consist advantageously of a two-armed interlock lever pivoted on the hub of the rotatabl e lamp carrier so that its two ends register with two diametrically opposite lamp holding heads on the lamp carrier. The introduction of a fresh lamp into one of these two heads moves the interlock lever over until it pushes out of the other head the lamp already stamped and held in that other head. The moving over of the interlock lever may also render other ejecting devices, such as acurved cam, operative to eject the incandescent lamp which has been stamped.

The lamp holdingheads on the rotary lamp carrier may advantageously be included in a circuit closed by a contact.device when the lamp is placed in the holder. In this way lamps may be lighted during the rbtationofthe carrier and while; they arebeing stamped. The rotation of the lamp carrier lasts long enough to enable the attendant to recognize defective lamps and to exclude them from further manufacturing cordance with the invention is shown in the accom anying drawing, in which Figure 1 1s a si e view, partly in section,

Figure 2 a front view,

Figure 3 a plan view.

Figure 4 a diagram illustrating the automatic ejection of stamped lamps, and

Fi ures 5 to 7 a modified form of device in si e view, front view, and plan view, respectively.

The particular machine shown in Figures 1 to 4 comprises a casing 1 open at the front and into which projects from the rear wall a fixed axle 2 on which is rotatably mounted a driving pulley 4 provided with a friction :cone 3 for engaging and driving the hub of a lamp carrying disc 6. The lamp carrier is pressed toward the pulley 4c by a spring 7 on the axle 2, and a conical recess in the end of the hub bears on the friction cone 3 and thereby the lamp carrier is yieldingly coupled to the driving pulley 4: To enable the disc 6 to serve as a carrier for the lamps to be stamped it has two diametrically opposite heads which, in the example shown,consist each of a journal 8 in which is rotatably mounted a holder comprising a sleeve 9, the forward end of which is slotted to form a resilient socket for holding the base 10 ofan bolt, and the lamp is thereby electrically connected through the shell.of the base with the holder sleeve 9 and through its center contact with the insulated ejector bolt 13 of the head. A two-armed interlock lever 16 is pivoted on the hub 5 by a pin lid. The ends of this interlock-lever 16 register with the two lamp holding heads on thedisc 6 and are advantageously equipped with contact springs 17. Behind the interlock lever is a contact ring 18 concentric with the axle 2 and secured to but insulated from the casing 1 by a bolt 19. A sto pin 20 normally projects into the path 0 the interlock lever 16 x and stops the interlock lever. 16, the lamp 1 ported in standards 30', 33 and h'avin carrier hub 5, and the carrier disc 6 at each half revolution until, by the insertion of a fresh lamp, the interlock lever 16 is moved over and thereby released from the stop pin 20.

On the carrier disc 6 there are, in addition to the lamp holding heads, two inking rollers 21 which are placed at diametrically opposite points, and alternately run over an inking or etching pad and the printing stamp as the disc 6 rotates. The inking or etching pad consists of a strip 22 bent to the same curvature as the rim of the disc 6 and preferably made of absorbent material, such as felt. This strip covers an opening in the side of a bottle-like container 23, which holds thevink or etching fluid, and is fixed to a lever 24 pivoted on astandard 25. The lever 24 is controlled by a spring 26 which yieldingly holds the lever 24 and the inking or etching pad 22 in normal position, hence the inking or etching pad 22 may yield resiliently to the rollers 21. Opposite the inking or etching pad 22 is a printing stamp 29 of metal or rubber on a lever 28 which is pivoted in standards 30, 30 and is under the influence of a spring 31 which resiliently holds the printing stamp 29 in place and which ordinarily keeps the lever 28 against an adjustable set screw 32.

Coaxial with the lever 28 is a lever 34 supon the side turned toward the sleeve 9 a ri bed or rou hened surface 35. (Fig. 3) The rota-' stamp, so that the lamp holders are positively driven at the proper speed to roll the lamps in the holders over the printing stamp at the same speed at which the lamps would roll over the stamp if the holders were free. The operation of the'stamping device is as follows: 7 4 4 The base 10 of the incandescent lamp 11 I which is to be stamped is placed by the operator in the holder sleeve 9 of the head which is uppermost at the time. The placing of the lamp in the holder pushes back the ejector bolt 13 of the upper head until its rear end 37 encounters and rocks the interlock lever 16. The upper contact spring 17 of the interlock lever 16 is thereby brought into contact with the contact ring 18, with the result that an electrical connection is made from the contact rinfg the one pole of a source '0 current through the contact spring 17, the ejector bolt 13,, the

18 connected to tip 14 of bolt 13 to press the stamped lamp in the lower head out of the holder sleeve 9,

so that the stamped lamp is automatically ejected. It is advantageous, as shown in Figure 4, to place below the lower head a chute 38 to deliver the ejected lamp either directly or by a conveyor 39 into a storage container, or even to a subsequent working position.

As the interlock lever 16 was rocked its lower end slid OK the stop pin 20. The hub 5 is now carried along by the friction cone 3 of the continuously rotating driving pulley 4 and thereby the disc 6 is turned, carrying along the holding heads. This rotation of the disc 6 brings the inserted lamp with its base projecting from the head within range of the printing stamp 29, and rolls it over the printing stamp 29. At the same time, the roller36 of the same head runs over the ribbed or roughened surface 35 of the resilient lever 34, thereby positively rotating the holder sleeve 9 with the inserted lamp, so that a uniform stamping is secured which is not dependent solely on the friction of-the' base on the stamp. Prior to each stamping the printing stamp 29 is supplied with fresh ink or etching fluid by the inking roller 21 which previously ran over it while at the same time the other inking roller 21 is charged with the ink or etching fluid by rolling over the inking or etching pad 22. At each half revolution the disc 6 is stopped when the interlock lever 16 strikes the stop pin 20. The lamp'll printed by rolling over the printing stamp 29 is now in its lowest position, just above the chute 38, while the second or empty head is in the upper position. During the half revolution of the disc 6 the lamp which is bein stamped is uninterruptedly supplied wit current and the operator has suflicient time to observe the lighting of the lamp and its condition. Upon the insertion of a fresh lamp into the upper empty head the automatic ejection of the stamped lamp occurs and the operation described is repeated, The supply of current. to the stamped lamp which is thus ejected is interrupted at. the lirst moment.

of the reverse movement of the interlock lever in consequence of the separation of the lower contact spring 17 from the contact ring 18.

Figures 5 to 7 show the stamping device designed for incandescent lamps with larger bases and particularlyfor incandescent lamps which after being stamped arelater subjected to an agingprocess, for example during an optical test. As the ejection by,

the interlock lever itself of the finished and stamped lamp with a larger base may be difficult the rocking of the interlock lever is used in this arrangement only to control the ejection of the finished stamped lamps. In view of the subsequent lighting and aging of the lamps the connections for supplying the lamps with current during the stamping process may be omitted.

The stamping device shown in Figures 5 to 7 also consists of a casing 1 open at the front with a stationary axle 2, a driving pulley 4 and a lamp carrier disc 6 with a hub 5. The lamp carrier has two diametrically opposite holding heads, each consisting of the journal 8, sleeve 9, and ejector pin 13, and also has inking rollers 21 displaced relative to the heads. The interlock lever 16 supported behind the carrier 6 on the hub 5 is in this'case however pivotally connected by pins 40 with the two ejector bolts 13 and also provided with two pins 41 guided in holes in a guide disc 42 fixed to the hub 5. On extensions 43 of the ejector bolts 13 are rollers 44 which upon the rotation of the carrier disc 6 ride along a curved cam 45 on the casing 1.

When idle the heads are not, as in the arrangement of Figures 1 to 4, above one another, but are, as shown in Figure 5, in a horizontal line. each time placed in the right hand head in Figure 6, so that the finished stamped lamp is each time ejected from the left hand head.

As in the arrangement shown in Figures 1 to 4, the interlock lever 16 bears when at rest on thestop pin 20 of the casing 1.

' When a fresh lamp is introduced there is only a slight axial displacement of the ejector bolts 13 and therefore only a slight swing of the interlock lever 16, not enough to eject the stamped lamps, but enough to swing the end of the interlock lever out of range of the stop pin 20. In this slight swing of the interlock lever 16 the pin 41 on the backward moving end of the interlock lever slides through the disc 42 until it engages one of the coupling lugs 46 on the driving pulley 4 and thereby positively clutches the pulley to the lamp carrier. As the interlock lever 16 turns with the driving pulley,-the carrier disc 6 together with the interlock lever 16 and the disc 42 are carried along, not only by the drag of the friction cone 3, but also by the coupling lug 46 which engages theprojecting pin 41. During the rotation of the lamp carrier disc 6, as in the arrangement of Figures 1-4, th freshincandescent lamps pass over a yielding printingstamp 29, the ribbed roller 36 of the holding head rolls over a ribbed surface like the surface 35, but not shown in these figures, and finally the rollers 21 pass over the etching or inking pad 22 and then over the printing stamp 29. Shortly after the lamp has left The unstamped lamp is the stamped lamp to be automatically I pressed further and furtherout of the head until it finally drops out. The dropping outof the stamped lamp occurs about when the roller 44 has reached the highest point on the curved cam and at about the same time the engagement of the lug 46 with the pin 41 is released as the latter is gradually forced outward. As the interlock lever 16 is moved over the further rotation of the carrier disc is stopped because the interlock lever 16 encounters the stop pin 20. The carrier disc has, as in the construction of Figures 1-4, made one half turn during the stamping and ejection of the lamp The lamp carrier is thus again ready, after the ejection of the stamped lamp, for the introduction of a fresh lamp into the right hand head and thus for another half turn and stamping of another lamp.

The stamping device shown in Figures 5-7 may be arranged by using a construction like that in Figures v1-4 to cause an aging or lighting of the lamps during the stamping.

In the same manner as electric incandescent lamps are stamped other similar devices, such as radio tubes, ballast lamps, rectifiers, and X-ray tubes may be stamped in the new stamping device on their bases or on the glass vessel. The heads of the rotating carrier may have any other desired form.

If necessary the center contact of the lamp may rock the interlock lever, and the axially displaceable ejector bolt 13 may be omitted. The lamp carrier may alsohave any desired form and rotate in a, vertical or horizontal plane. The printing stamp may be supported and it may be supplied with ink or etching fiuidin many different. ways. The lamp carrier with its head need not be rotated intermittently, as it may also be rotated slowly and uninterruptedly.

' The new stamping device is advantageous.

ly placed alongside a basing machine such as a rotating basing machine, so that the operator who takes out the based lamp from the basing machine or does the soldering by hand may also place the lamp in the stamping device.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1-. In a device of the character described the combination of a lamp carrier having two lamp holding heads mounted to travel in a closed path, a printing stamp resiliently mounted adjacent said path in position to be encountered by the lamps in said heads, and lamp ejecting means for ejecting the lamp from either head andresponsive to the introduction of another lamp into the other head for automatically ejecting a lamp after it has passed over said printing stamp.

2. In a device of the character described the combination with a lamp carrier disc having a hub and two lamp holding heads mounted diametrically opposite each other on said disc, of an interlocking lever pivoted on said hub with its two ends in registry with said heads and so positioned that placing a lamp in one holder rocks said lever and thereby automatically ejects a lamp from the other head.

3. In a device of the character described the combination of a carrier disc having a hub and two holding heads mounted diametrically opposite each other on said disc, each of said heads having an ejector bolt longitudinally movable in said head, of a two-armed interlocking lever pivoted on said hub with its ends in registry with the ejector bolts in said heads and so positioned that placing an article in one head rocks said lever to automatically eject an article from the other head.

4. In a device of the character described the combination with a rotatable carrier having two holding heads at diametrically opposlte points and at equal distances from the center of revolution of said carrier, of a lever pivoted on and rotating with said carrier with its ends in registry with said heads to eject an article from either head by movement of the end of said lever toward said head, and a stop positioned to be encountered by the end of said lever which is remote from the adjacent head and to be passed by said end when it is near said adjacent head.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable carrier having a pair of holder heads at diametrically opposite points, each of said heads comprising a tubular gripping socket, an ejector pin axially mounted in and insulated from said socket and movable longitudinally to eject a lamp from said socket, an interlock lever pivotedon said carrier and connected near' its ends with said ejector pins, and means for electrically connecting said socket and said pin to a source of current while said socket is traversing a predetermined part of its path.

' 6, In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable carrier having a pair of holder heads at diametrically with said carrier in position to be engaged by an end of said lever when said lever is rocked on its pivot, and means for electrically connecting said ring and said sockets to a source of current.

7 In a device of the character described, the combination of a rotatable carrier having a pair of diametrically opposite holder heads, a printing stamp mounted adjacent the path of said heads in position to be encountered by articles in said heads, an inking pad adjacent the path of said heads comprising a resiliently mounted container having in the side toward the center of said carrier an absorbent pad in communication with the interior of said container, and an inking roller mounted on said carrier be.- tween said heads in position to encounter both said inkin pad and said stamp during each revolutlonof said carriers.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 12th dayof March, 1928.

I ALFRED SITTEL. 

